With conference play in full swing, Stony Brook women’s basketball will head to Vermont on Wednesday night to take on the Catamounts.

The Seawolves earned a major momentum boost after coming up with a big win over New Hampshire on the road Sunday, bringing their fifth place America East record to 5-4 on the season.

For Stony Brook, the game against Vermont is a winnable one, and could be a great help in continuing the Seawolves’ late season push.

The Catamounts come into the game with a variety of on–the-court problems: the team is currently in the midst of an 11-game losing streak, and has failed to win any of its eight conference games. Vermont is also last in the America East in both scoring offense and defense.

Stony Brook must continue its stellar defensive play on Wednesday night in order to make sure that the Catamounts’ losing streak continues. The Seawolves currently hold the best field goal percentage defense in the America East. Since Vermont is shooting at just 31 percent, a solid defensive outing could shift things in Stony Brook’s favor.

This game will require Stony Brook to put its past road struggles behind them, continuing the new trend that the New Hampshire game started. Despite an 8-3 home record, the team is just 4-7 in road games this season.

While Vermont may not be quite the power that Albany is, it should be noted that two of the Catamounts’ three wins came in home games.

In order to succeed in the conference tournament, the Seawolves must learn to play at a higher level away from Island Federal Credit Union Arena.

Put plainly, it would be a disappointment if the Seawolves did not win this game. With a 5-4 conference record, Stony Brook cannot afford to lose. Doing so would do great damage to the team’s hopes for a better seed in the America East tournament.